State

Number

Status

Proposed

Topics

Full Bill Text

S 467 require a physician who is to perform or induce an abortion, or an allied health professional working in conjunction with the physician, to conduct an abdominal ultrasound test to determine whether the embryo or fetus has a detectable heartbeat. No ultrasound test would be required in the case of an emergency.

The bill would prohibit a person from performing or inducing or attempting to perform or induce an abortion upon an individual when it has been determined, that the probable post-fertilization age of the patient’s fetus is:

between 13 and 19 weeks when the ultrasound test detects a heartbeat; or

20 weeks or more.

South Carolina law currently prohibits abortions at 20 weeks or more. A fetal heartbeat can be detected as early as six weeks of pregnancy—two weeks after a woman’s first missed period—and well before many women even realize that they are pregnant. If passed, this bill would effectively ban abortions at 13 weeks gestation.

Related Legislation

Similar to S 96 (2015) and S 623 (2013), both of which failed to pass.